Page 53 of Sinful Deception

“He can be such a scoundrel,” I agree solemnly. “You should tell him what a scoundrel he is when you see him.”

“Arch,” Fletch chuckles, though he rubs his lips as though to hide the sound. “Stop it.”

“I liked it better when Fifi worked for Aunty Minka. She was a much better boss, don’t youfink?”

“I definitelyfinkso.” Finally, I unravel the tie and tsk at the wrinkles left behind. “Minka is a way cooler boss. And she doesn’t like the mayor either. So I guess you have that in common.”

“You’re about to start a war,” Fletch growls. “Stop it.”

“What’s he gonna do? Have her arrested for kicking him in the shins?”

“Ishouldkick him in the shins!” Mia hollers. “Yes! That would teach him for not being nice to Miss Fifi. Maybe he’ll let her go back to work for Aunty Minka.”

“Aunty Minka would celebrate this plan.” I wrap the tie around my own neck and start the Windsor knot my brother taught me forever ago. Micah is our more polished Malone. The one who would take the time to learn these things, while the rest of us were busier fucking shit up. “The mayor may or may not come to your mommy’s party tomorrow. I’m not sure. But if he does, maybe don’t kick him there. Unless Aunty Minka says so,” I amend with a smile. “If she says so, then it’s game on and you become her tool.”

“You’re a terrible influence.” Fletch grabs the tail of the tie and gives it a tug. He could choke me, and I would have walked right into his trap. “Stop telling her this shit. I’m trying to keep her out of jail.”

I drag the tie back and work on fixing what he ruined, but then I peek Mia’s way and wrinkle my nose. “Don’t kick the mayor, Moo. That would be bad.”

“Unless Aunty Minka says so.” She plops back to her butt and giggles when Bluey does something funny. “Then it’s game on.”

“You’re a pain in my ass.”

As soon as I’m done with the tie, I loosen and drag it over my head so he can have it, ready to go. But he snatches—no gentle hands here—and snarls. “You came here just to annoy me?”

“I came to help with your tie, obviously.” But I snag my soda and sit back on the couch, settling my ankle on my knee and reaching across to curl Mia’s hair around my finger. “What else needs to be planned?”

“Everything is done, I think. Except the pallbearers, on the off chance your brothers bail.”

“They won’t. They’re flying in tonight.” And Felixinsistson sleeping in my apartment. Though I’m not sure he realizes there’s no chance Tim is setting up camp on my living room floor. And he sure as shit won’t allow Aubree to do so either. “They’ll stay tonight and tomorrow night. And head back to New York Saturday sometime. Is the wake and all the food and stuff finalized?”

“Tim’s taking care of it.” He walks his tie back into the hall. “He said he was closing the place for the day, and he’ll feed us till we’re done. It’ll only be us.” His voice changes as he deposits his tie in the room and heads back this way. “Your brothers, Minka, Aubree. Us. Maybe Sera, if she decides to come. It’s not like we’re hosting something for a hundred strangers.”

“Tim will do it up good. Music was given to thepartydirector?”

He steps back into the living room, his bottom lip trapped between his teeth. “Yeah. And I wrote the eulogy.” He stops at the counter and picks up a sheet of folded paper, waving it so itflaps in the air. “I couldn’t ask anyone else to do it. And I couldn’t let the day pass without sayingsomething. So I just…” he sets it down again. “Wrote a few things down. The director said he would do the things he’s supposed to and recite the prayers and play the music. Then I read my thing. Then we let Mia speak, if she wants to. Then it’s done.”

“Do you think she should?” I angle my head and study the girl whose entire focus is on a little blue cartoon dog. “Could she even truly process what she’s doing or saying?”

“She will someday. And I figure giving her the option to speak is the right thing to do. Knowing, when it’s done, that I did everything to ensurehermental space was safe is all that matters to me.”

“And you’re doing it.” I push up to stand since I’m sick of twisting to keep him in my vision, then I take my soda and set it down just a few inches from the eulogy. “From the moment this all got messy, you’ve put her first, every single time. Every single heartbreak, every time you could have been selfish, you chose her happiness. You’ve done the right thing, Fletch.” I search his eyes and hate how they shimmer with fatigue. With a bone-deep ache I’m not sure will ever truly go away. “I’m proud of how you’ve handled all this. A weaker man would have broken a long time ago.”

“I feel like I didn’t have a choice.” He sets his elbows on the counter and hunches to let his head dangle. “I never had the chance to choose differently. Because Mia deserved to know I was always her safe space. Even when I was bleeding.”

“And you bled a lot.” I grab his hair and drag him up until his eyes stop on mine. “You bled more than any other could stand. And not once did you let your baby down. I’m proud to call you my best friend.”

His cheeks warm, but he pulls back until my hand drops away. Then he lets his head dangle again. “Thanks.”

“You’re close to the finish line. I’m not saying everything will be better once it’s done, but I’m saying that after this, things will get easier. Wounds will begin to heal.”

“Life will go on,” he rumbles. “I can get back to work, and Mia can go back to school. Then we just…” he sighs. “We move on.”

MINKA

Doctor Chase is doing… okay. He’s coming back to work for tonight’s shift and wishes to remain optimistic and within routine.

My kind of guy.

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